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Chem Matters To Us: Diamonds?

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Chem Matters to Us: Diamonds
Thesis: The extremely strong chemical structure of diamonds contributes to its unique chemical and physical properties, which allow diamonds to be used for a variety of practical applications.
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What is the chemical structure of diamond?

carbon atom typically has 6 protons and 6 neutrons in its nucleus, as well as six electrons in surrounding orbitals
The electron shell configuration of carbon is 1s2 2s2 2p2.
Carbon has a valence shell with four electrons to achieve stability, four electrons must be accepted to fill the 2p orbital
Diamond is made up of repeating units of carbon atoms joined to four other carbon atoms by a covalent bond
Each carbon atom covalently …show more content…

derives from greek word adamao meaning I tame or I subdue the word adamas means hardest steel or hardest substance the rock in which diamonds are found is estimated to be between 50 and 1600 million years the diamond itself is estimated to be 3.3 billion years old
The two different values is because the volcanic magma that solidifies into rock where diamonds are found did not create them
It only transported the diamonds from the Earth's mantle to the surface therefore estimating the time period can be difficult

(Helmenstine,n.d.)
What are the types of diamonds? natural diamonds are the result of carbon exposed to heat and pressure deep in the earth la- is the most common and contains 0.3% nitrogen lb- very rare found naturally, however nearly all synthetic industrial diamonds are lb, which contain up to 500 ppm nitrogen lla- rare in nature, contains so little nitrogen it isn’t detected llb- very rare in nature, contain even less nitrogen than lla, however is a semiconductor synthetic industrial diamonds are produced in a process called high pressure high temperature synthesis during this process graphite and a metallic catalyst are placed in a hydraulic press under high temperatures and

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